Faulty Wiring causes Personal Property Damage

I live in California. Faulty electrical wiring in my rental unit caused an electrical surge that damaged several of my appliances. I lost my refrigerator in this ordeal, food spoiled, and we've been forced to eat out. What is the landlord's responsibility for replacing the damaged appliances and reimbursement for the food loss and addional eating out expenses?

Re: Faulty Wiring causes Personal Property Damage

Originally posted by Annoyed_CA I live in California. Faulty electrical wiring in my rental unit caused an electrical surge that damaged several of my appliances. I lost my refrigerator in this ordeal, food spoiled, and we've been forced to eat out. What is the landlord's responsibility for replacing the damaged appliances and reimbursement for the food loss and addional eating out expenses?

My response:

Probably none, unless you can prove negligence on the part of the landlord as having been the cause of the surge; e.g., poor maintenance. Surges are not infrequent in electrical conduits, circuits, and everything else regarding electrical systems. That's why there are "breakers" in the first place.

Electrical Surge cause known... Do I have a chance with this?

Thanks for your reply. It was not a "normal" surge. The surge was caused by two wires in the wall that touched, essentially creating one large circuit in my apartment (instead of several). The electrician repaired the wiring. If I can get a written report from the electrician, what is the best that I can expect in recovering anything from the landlord?

Re: Electrical Surge cause known... Do I have a chance with this?

Originally posted by Annoyed_CA Thanks for your reply. It was not a "normal" surge. The surge was caused by two wires in the wall that touched, essentially creating one large circuit in my apartment (instead of several). The electrician repaired the wiring. If I can get a written report from the electrician, what is the best that I can expect in recovering anything from the landlord?

My response:

Please, read my first response to you. You NEED to key in on the word "negligence". It doesn't matter, at this point, that you suffered any kind of a surge and damages. The point is, can you PROVE the landlord to have been "NEGLIGENT" ?

If the surge was caused due to faulty wiring, then yes, you may have a claim. But, if it is merely a maintenance issue; e.g., the wiring is 35 years old, or some other "non-fault" reason, then you're going to need to make a claim with your renter's insurance.

In law, all because something bad happens to you, doesn't necessarily mean that someone else is at fault. You need to have PROOF of someone else's "negligence", and that their negligence was the "legal cause" of your damages.

If you can get your electrician to make a written statement that the problem was caused by someone's negligence, ALONG WITH AN EXPLANATION FOR THE COURT AS TO WHAT THE NEGLIGENCE WAS, then you could, perhaps, win your case. Anything short of that, and you'll just have to rely on your own pocket or your own insurance.

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